Artifical neuron mimicks function of human cells

Artifical neuron mimicks function of human cells

Stockholm, June 25(Greenpost)–Scientists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet have managed to build a fully functional neuron by using organic bioelectronics. This artificial neuron contain no ‘living’ parts, but is capable of mimicking the function of a human nerve cell and communicate in the same way as our own neurons do.

Neurons are isolated from each other and communicate with the help of chemical signals, commonly called neurotransmitters or signal substances. Inside a neuron, these chemical signals are converted to an electrical action potential, which travels along the axon of  the neuron until it reaches the end. Here at the synapse, the electrical signal is converted to the release of chemical signals, which via diffusion can relay the signal to the next nerve cell.

To date, the primary technique for neuronal stimulation in human cells is based on electrical stimulation. However, scientists at theSwedish Medical Nanoscience Centre (SMNC) at Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with collegues at Linköping University, have now created an organic bioelectronic device that is capable of receiving chemical signals, which it can then relay to human cells.

“Our artificial neuron is made of conductive polymers and it functions like a human neuron”, says lead investigator Agneta Richter-Dahlfors, professor of cellular microbiology.  “The sensing component of the artificial neuron senses a change in chemical signals in one dish, and translates this into an electrical signal. This electrical signal is next translated into the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in a second dish, whose effect on living human cells can be monitored.“

The research team hope that their innovation, presented in the journal Biosensors & Bioelectronics, will improve treatments for neurologial disorders which currently rely on traditional electrical stimulation. The new technique makes it possible to stimulate neurons based on specific chemical signals received from different parts of the body. In the future, this may help physicians to bypass damaged nerve cells and restore neural function.

“Next, we would like to miniaturize this device to enable implantation into the human body”, says Agneta Richer-Dahlfors. “We foresee that in the future, by adding the concept of wireless communication, the biosensor could be placed in one part of the body, and trigger release of neurotransmitters at distant locations. Using such auto-regulated sensing and delivery, or possibly a remote control, new and exciting opportunities for future research and treatment of neurological disorders can be envisaged.”

This study was made possible by funding from Carl Bennet AB, VINNOVA, Karolinska Institutet, the Swedish Research Council, Swedish Brain Power, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and Önnesjö Foundation.

Jiangxi’s Vice Governor Zhu Hong attends tourism promotion fair in Stockholm

By Xuefei Chen Axelsson

STOCKHOLM, June 25(Greenpost)–Vice Governor Zhu Hong of Jiangxi Provice, East China has attended the tourism promotion fair in Brommavik Hotel in Stockholm.

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(Front left, Mr Liu Shaohui, manager of Brommavik Hotel and President of Stockholm Chinese Association, right, Magnus Gustafsson from Karmmar, behind standing: Zhu Hong, Vice governor of Jiangxi Province)

He spoke at the meeting about Jiangxi’s beautiful scenery.

“Jiangxi’s scenery is very special because it has many special mountains and rivers. The landscape is really spectacular.” said Zhu Hong.

The famous revolutionary site Jinggangshan mountain is one of them. The Lushan Mountain is also a famous conference resort. Chairman Mao used to have meeting there.

The Tengwang Pavillion is another famous tourist site even famous since Tang Dynasty when famous poet Wang Bo wrote his famous prose  the Preface of Tengwang Pavillion.

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(Right, Wang Jianrong exhibits Dala Horse to Zhu Hong, middle.)

Wang Jianrong, President of Swedish Chinese Federation of Industry and Commerce expressed welcome to Zhu Hong.

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(Left: Guo Yanhang talks with Zhu Hong.    Photo by Xuefei Chen Axelsson)

Guo Yanhang, couselor at the Chinese Embassy in Sweden also spoke at the fair.

“I think talking about Jiangxi, man cannot help thinking of Jingdezhen town where famous China came from. Jiangxi is China’s name card due to its fine china. I used to visit Jiangxi and it was really beautiful and impressed me so much.” Guo said.

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IMG_7709During the meeting, the two sides signed a couple of agreements for future cooperation.

About 40 people from various Chinese associations or companies including China-Europe Cultural Association and Green Post attended the meeting.

你“大姨妈”来了吗?

北欧绿色邮报报道(记者陈雪霏)--总部设在日内瓦的供水和卫生合作理事会日前提出一个新的合作项目,那就是针对女童月经期卫生与健康的话题进行讨论和知识传播。

在中国,女生之间的一个委婉语就是,奥,你大姨妈来了或者是“你大姨妈来了吗?” 如果来了,那么,不上体育课也可以有理由了。不做剧烈运动很正常。妇女在社交场合应酬,如果大姨妈来了,也会感觉非常不方便。

这个问题,在70年代的农村,老一辈人很多人使用旧布替代卫生纸,因为那时候,不用说卫生巾,就是卫生纸都没有。

当今,由于经期卫生和健康问题,造成人均每年有12天不能工作。这样,即使在北京上海这样的大城市,所造成的生产力损失在2014年达17亿美元。

在非洲,据说,还有很多贫困人口在用布,纸和粘土解决问题。真的难以想象是怎么解决。

供水和卫生合作理事会目前打破沉默,直接提出女性的隐私,以提醒女孩注意经期卫生与健康。他们去年底在海南举行了有关这个问题的研讨会,对于女性的卫生健康意识的提高起到了一定推动作用。

昨天,在沃尔沃环球帆船比赛中,供水和卫生合作理事会与瑞典对外援助部和中国的爱生雅组织一起支持女帆船手参赛,目的是宣传卫生意识,同时举行研讨会,讨论如何在全球范围内,加强女性经期卫生和健康意识。降低疾病传播。

据统计,全世界有8亿妇女时时经历着经期,但其中有数百万妇女没有体面的厕所可上。没有纯净水,没有肥皂。卫生巾太贵,买不起,或者就是没有,因此,造成的感染影响女童上学,影响妇女工作。

WSSCC supports hygiene, health and well-being in China

Stockholm, June 25(Greenpost)– WSSCC, a UN organization for water and sanitation has stretched its hand to help Chinese women to pay attention to hygiene and health during their menstrual period.From left to right: Archana Patkar, WSSCC Programme Manager for Networking and Knowledge Management; Ulf Söderström, President SCA Asia Pacific; Kersti Strandqvist, Senior Vice President Sustainability, SCA; and Cynthia Yu, Marketing Associate Director, Vinda International. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

Some 76% of Chinese women are uncomfortable in a social setting — a dinner with friends or family, for example – while having their period, participants learned today at a special seminar hosted by the global hygiene company SCA and its affiliate Vinda International together with WSSCC.

The seminar, “Hygiene Matters 2014” focused on the findings of a recent survey of the same name and assembled 30 people, including representatives of elderly welfare associations in seven Chinese cities, to the SCA Pavilion in Sanya. The pavilion is hosting a range of events during the two-week stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race in this southern coastal city.

Archana Patkar, WSSCC Programme Manager for Networking and Knowledge Management, discussed the links between hygiene, aging and disability at the Hygiene Matters Workshop in the SCA Pavilion. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

WSSCC’s Archana Patkar, Programme Manager for Networking and Knowledge Management, was one of three keynote speakers at the event. She joined Ulf Söderström, President SCA Asia Pacific; Kersti Strandqvist, Senior Vice President Sustainability, SCA; and Cynthia Yu, Marketing Associate Director, Vinda International.

Ms. Patkar discussed the links between hygiene, aging and disability. She noted that for men, and particularly for women, there are distinct hygiene-related needs that coincide with the human lifecycle, from birth to old age and including periods of disability, both physical or mental, that most people eventually encounter.

“We must unlock dignity for all people in all the stages of their lives,” said Ms. Patkar. “For women and for men, this means not being afraid to talk about issues linked to childbirth, puberty, menstruation, menopause and old age, including incontinence.” Do public facilities, for example, consider lifecycle differences, she asked, such as lower wash basins which can be reached by wheelchair-bound people?

Kersti Strandqvist, Senior Vice President for Sustainability at SCA, presented results emanating from the 13-country Hygiene Matters Consumer Survey conducted in 2014. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

Ms. Strandkvist and Mr. Söderström gave global and Chinese results emanating from the 13-country Hygiene Matters Consumer Survey 2014. The survey is designed to glean insights which can be used to raise awareness among decision makers, experts and the general public on hygiene and health, as well as improve the quality of the company’s products, 80% of whom are women.

Ulf Söderström, President of SCA Asia Pacific, revealed that personal hygiene, according to one of many survey responses, was the greatest worry of growing old in China. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

In China, personal hygiene, according to one of many survey responses, was the greatest worry of growing old – with issues such as elderly incontinence ranking higher than sickness, Mr. Söderström said.

“Compared to other surveyed countries, Chinese people are quite worried of becoming ill due to poor hygiene – more than half of the respondents worry often or always. In China, SCA and Vinda aim to strengthen the possibility of improved hygiene for people everywhere by providing innovative solutions to the market that improve the quality of life for millions of people; from developing professional nursing services to championing elderly education and providing assisted living expertise,” said Mr. Söderström during the presentation of the local survey results.

There are also economic impacts, Ms. Strandkvist revealed. As people live and work longer, untreated incontinence reduces quality of life and causes enormous costs to society by reducing working people’s productivity an average of 12.6 days per year. In addition to this, caregiving relatives lose in average 3.7 hours work per week while attending to their relative. In just Shanghai, Beijing and Guangdong, this value loss is estimated at USD 1.7 billion in 2014.

Whether the issue is incontinence or menstrual hygiene, Ms. Yu said the aim for SCA and Vinda International is to “raise awareness about the connection between hygiene, health and well-being, and to strengthen the possibility of improved hygiene for people everywhere.”

Cynthia Yu, Marketing Associate Director at Vinda International, underlined the organisation's aim to raise awareness about the connection between hygiene, health and well-being, and to strengthen the possibility of improved hygiene for people everywhere. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

Since November 2014, SCA, a leading global hygiene and forest products company, and WSSCC have teamed up in an innovative public-private partnership to break the silence around menstruation for women and girls around the world. In connection with the all-female Team SCA’s participation in the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, WSSCC and SCA (a member of the UN Global Compact) are campaigning for greater attention to the issue, as well as hosting educational and training events designed to leave practical skills in the stopover sites.

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, WSSCC, SCA, Vinda International and the Office of Women and Children Affairs of Hainan Provincial Government will conduct a menstrual hygiene teacher training, as well as an educational workshop with school girls in the capital city of Haikou. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the two partners together with Vinda International and the Office of Women and Children Affairs of Hainan Provincial Government will conduct menstrual hygiene teacher training, as well as an educational workshop with school girls in the capital city of Haikou. Similar activities took place last November with The Volunteer Centre, a local NGO, in Cape Town, South Africa, for young girls from local townships.

At any given moment, 800 million women around the world are menstruating, and in many countries, millions of them are left to manage their periods with unhygienic solutions such as cloth, paper or clay, and without access to private toilets, water or soap. Sanitary products like pads are unaffordable or unavailable, and urinary or reproductive tract infections are common. As a result, girls miss valuable days in school, and women are unable to work, stifling productivity and advancement.

Source  WSSCC website

Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson

WSSCC and SCA help Chinese girls to break the silence on menstruation

The Great Aunt: WSSCC and SCA help Chinese girls to break the silence on menstruation

Stockholm, June 25(Greenpost)–While the girls from countryside didn’t know how to describe their period, girls in the city for example in Beijing got an euphimism for menstruation, that is Dayima or the Great Aunt.

It was true that women used clothes to deal with their period because there was no paper before 1970s in the countryside in China.  Many women who were born in the 1950s and 1960s said they were not aware of it when their period came for the first time.

But now the situation changed for the better. Thanks to SCA and WSSCC program, girls from Haikou got more knowledge about this private matter.

In a safe and supportive environment, thirty girls from Haikou, China, sat down on February 5 to talk with each other and learn from experts about an important but little discussed topic that will impact their lives for the next 40 years: menstruation.

The girls, aged 10 to 12, participated in a menstrual hygiene management (MHM)training session organized by SCA and WSSCC through their public-private partnership on the issue. The training session was supported by the General Office of Women and Children Affairs of Hainan Provincial Government, as well as Vinda International, one of China’s largest tissue companies. The training took place at the Hainan Provincial Population and Family Public Service Center.

SCA and WSSCC have entered into their collaboration aiming at breaking the stigma and silence that surrounds menstruation.

At any given moment, 800 million women around the world are menstruating, and in many countries, millions of them are left to manage their periods with unhygienic solutions such as cloth, paper or clay, and without access to private toilets, water or soap. Sanitary products like pads are unaffordable or unavailable, and urinary or reproductive tract infections are common. As a result, girls miss valuable days in school, and women are unable to work, stifling productivity and advancement. In China alone, estimates are that there are some 350 to 400 million women of menstruating age.

In the MHM session, local women trained by WSSCC taught the girls about their bodies, the importance of good hygiene during menstruation and to feel pride in what happens naturally every month. The local women were given a full day of pre-training on Feb. 4 , which will enable them to continue to spread the knowledge and achieve sustainable change.

“The health and well-being of a nation is very much connected to the health and well-being of its women and girls,” said Chen Jinling, Deputy Director of the General Office of Women and Children Affairs of Hainan Provincial Government. “We are happy to support this workshop, which has done much to raise awareness of menstrual hygiene management and has provided nearly 30 girls, and their friends, with very important information for their own futures.”

With the group of women trainers – who included doctors, teachers and community volunteer organizers – and later with the students, the session provided an opportunity to discuss in clear terms what usually is done euphemistically. It was said how the monthly period is often explained away as “the Great Aunt”, or “the thing”, or “my routine holiday”, or “the typhoon”.  Some cultural practices and beliefs in China linked to menstruation include in many places, including Hainan, girls having their period cannot go with their families to worship their ancestors. Or, there are beliefs that they should not go swimming, or eat chocolate (because Chinese traditional medicine suggests that some foods help or hinder the circulatory system, and that sweet foods will make you bleed more).

“Breaking the silence [around menstruation] requires knowledge and leads to real change,” said Archana Patkar, Programme Manager, WSSCC. “Today’s training went very well and it shows that the WSSCC/SCA partnership will leave a positive and lasting imprint for girls and young women in Haikou while also raising awareness of menstrual hygiene issues globally. We’re grateful to the Hainan Provincial Government for welcoming and supporting us in this work.”

Kersti Strandqvist, SCA’s SVP Sustainability described the partnership as a valuable tool to make a difference. “We want to move from well-meaning words to real action. To meet the young girls today is also a means for us to adjust our products and trainings to their needs and strengthen them in their role as women. For us at SCA it is inspiring and motivating when we see how we make a difference in these girls’ lives!”

WSSCC has a multi-faceted approach to menstrual hygiene management, and other equity issues.

Source   WSSCC

Editor  Xuefei Chen Axelsson

H & M Six-month report shows increases

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB Six-month report

STOCKHOLM, June 25(Greenpost) Due to well-received collections for all brands in the H&M group, the H&M group’s sales excluding VAT increased by 23 percent to SEK 86,143 m (69,970) during the first six months of the financial year. In local currencies the increase was 12 percent.
Profit after financial items amounted to SEK 13,158 m (11,129), an increase of 18 percent. The group’s profit after tax increased to SEK 10,066 m (8,458), corresponding to SEK 6.08 (5.11) per share, an increase of 19 percent.

Sales in the period 1 June – 23 June 2015 increased by 14 percent in local currencies compared to the same period last year.

H&M’s first store in Macau was very well received on its opening in June.The H&M group plans a net addition of around 400 new stores for the financial year 2014/2015. In total, H&M will expand its retail stores into five new markets in 2015, Taiwan, Peru, Macau, South Africa and India.

Starting from July 2015, H&M Beauty will gradually be launched in 900 H&M stores in 40 markets as well as online.

“The strong sales development has continued for all our brands with a sales increase in SEK of 23 percent excluding VAT during the first half-year. Including VAT, this means that sales in the first half amounted to more than SEK 100 billion, ” said CEO Karl-Johan Persson.

Profits have also developed well in the first half-year, with an increase of 19 percent – this despite the fact that the increasingly strong US dollar has resulted in increased purchasing costs and that we have continued to increase our long-term investments compared to last year.

In March and April we also opened eight new H&M online markets – Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and Belgium – which were all very well received. With the opening of H&M shop online in Switzerland in the autumn, H&M will have 22 online markets.

In parallel with our online expansion, we are continuing to open stores at a fast pace.

“We are aiming to open approximately 400 new stores net this year. We have had many successful openings so far this year. For example, the opening in Lima, Peru, is one of our strongest ever when it comes to sales. Other places where we have also had great store openings include New York’s Herald Square – we opened the group’s largest store in terms of floor space here in May – and Macau, where we opened in June. Later in the second half of the year we are looking forward to opening in two interesting and large markets – India and South Africa, where we will open in New Delhi and Cape Town.” he said.

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is quoted on Nasdaq Stockholm. H&M’s business idea is to offer fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way. In addition to H&M, the group includes the brands COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday, & Other Stories as well as H&M Home. The H&M group has more than 3,600 stores in 59 markets including franchise markets. In 2014, sales including VAT amounted to more than SEK 176.6 billion and the number of employees was more than 132,000. 

 

Svenska H&M Sexmånadersrapport visar ökning

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB Sexmånadersrapport

STOCKHOLM, den 25 Juni (Greenpost)–Svenska kläder jätten H&M ABs första sexmånadersrapport visade ökningar, enligt press medellande  från H&M.

H&M omsättning exklusive moms ökade med 23 procent till 86143 million SEK.

Resultatet efter finansiella poster uppgick till 13158 million SEK, en ökning med 18 procent.

Koncenens resultat efter skatt ökade till MSEK 10066, en ökning med 19 procent.

  • Försäljningen under perioden 1 juni – 23 juni 2015 ökade med 14 procent i lokala valutor jämfört med motsvarande period förra året.
  • H&M:s första butik i Macao fick ett mycket bra mottagande vid öppningen i juni. För räkenskapsåret 2014/2015 planerar H&M-koncernen ett nettotillskott om cirka 400 butiker. Sammanlagt tillkommer fem nya H&M-butiksmarknader under 2015: Taiwan, Peru, Macao, Sydafrika och Indien.
  • H&M Beauty lanseras succesivt i 900 H&M-butiker på 40 marknader samt online med start under juli 2015.

”Den starka försäljningsutvecklingen har fortsatt för alla våra varumärken med en försäljningsökning i SEK om 23 procent exklusive moms under första halvåret. Inklusive moms innebär det att försäljningen för första halvåret uppgick till drygt 100 miljarder SEK, kommentade  Karl-Johan Persson, vd

Vi har också haft en bra resultatutveckling under första halvåret, med en ökning om 19 procent. Detta trots att den allt starkare US-dollarn har gett ökade inköpskostnader och att vi fortsatt att öka våra långsiktiga satsningar jämfört med föregående år. Dessa långsiktiga satsningar kostar nu men vi ser dem som avgörande för att bygga ett ännu starkare H&M. Bland annat investerar vi mycket i att kunna vara en naturlig del i kundernas allt mer digitaliserade värld där gränsen mellan att handla online och i fysiska butiker blir allt mer flytande. Vårt mål är att ge kunderna en shoppingupplevelse där online och butikshandel är tätt sammanvävda, vilket stärker vårt kunderbjudande ytterligare.

Under mars och april har vi också öppnat åtta nya H&M-onlinemarknader; Polen, Portugal, Rumänien, Tjeckien, Bulgarien, Slovakien, Ungern och Belgien – vilka samtliga har fått ett mycket bra mottagande. Med öppningen av H&M shop online i Schweiz under hösten kommer H&M att ha 22 onlinemarknader.

Parallellt med vår online-expansion fortsätter vi att öppna butiker i snabb takt. Totalt sett siktar vi på att öppna cirka 400 nya butiker netto i år. Vi har haft många framgångsrika öppningar hittills i år. Till exempel är öppningen i Lima i Peru, en av våra försäljningsmässigt starkaste någonsin. Andra städer där vi också har fått fina mottaganden är i New York, där vi i maj öppnade koncernens till ytan största butik vid Herald Square samt i Macao som vi öppnade i juni. Vi ser nu fram emot att under senare delen av andra halvåret öppna på två intressanta och stora marknader – Indien och Sydafrika, där vi öppnar i New Delhi och i Kapstaden.

Så vi har en intensiv höst framför oss då vi även kommer att lansera vår senaste satsning H&M Beauty, som successivt rullas ut i 900 butiker på 40 marknader och online med start under juli. H&M Beauty erbjuder ett brett sortiment av make-up, hår- och kroppsprodukter – där även en premium-linje och en conscious-linje med Eco-certifierade hållbara produkter ingår. H&M Beauty är ett exempel i raden av satsningar som vi gör för att ytterligare bredda H&M:s produktutbud.

Vi har idag ett starkt kunderbjudande med alla våra varumärken; H&M, COS, & Other Stories, Weekday, Monki och Cheap Monday, som alla har sin egen identitet som kompletterar varandra väl. Detta gör att H&M-koncernen kan erbjuda många olika stilar och trender i olika prisklasser. Tillsammans delar våra varumärken passionen för mode och att erbjuda kunderna mode på ett hållbart sätt. Vårt hållbarhetsarbete är en mycket viktig del i vårt kunderbjudande och har så varit under många år. Eftersom hållbarhetsarbetet genuint genomsyrar vårt dagliga arbete och de beslut vi tar – är det naturligt att det nu också finns med i H&M:s affärsidé: mode och kvalitet till bästa pris på ett hållbart sätt.”